Jesse Jackson Comments on LeBron James.

CHICAGO -- The Rev. Jesse Jackson says Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert sees LeBron James as a "runaway slave" and that his comments after the forward decided to join the Miami Heat put the player in danger.

Shortly after James announced his decision Thursday night, Gilbert fired off an incendiary letter to Cleveland's fans, ripping the 25-year-old and promising to deliver a title before James wins one. He called James' decision "cowardly" and later told The Associated Press he believes James quit during a handful of Cavaliers playoff games.

Jackson says Gilbert's comments "personify a slave master mentality" and the owner should face a "challenge" from the league.

Messages were left Sunday night seeking comment from Gilbert, the Cavaliers, James and the NBA.

the more i think about it, gilbert sounded like an idiot and should appologize. The talking about lebron tanking playoff games was really the worst part about it. Not sure I would make slavery comparisons, but man i expect lebron to give the cavs the business real hard every single time from here on out.

I have stayed away from this whole subject but yea he overreacted but can you blame him to some degree compare this too you were with Alicia Keys for a whole year and the end of the year she says in a week im gonna either have sex with you and stay with you for the rest of your life or im leaving and you dont get any communication until Saturday and she sends a text saying bye thats it......Id be hella mad

Why are people saying that Gilbert should say he's sorry. That should be Lebron...nobody thinks it's bad that he handcuffed the cavs and then the night he left he didn't even have the balls to give the cavs owner who spent millions on him a call to even tell him that he was leaving!

im not defending lebron and i have criticised him as much as anybody on here. But dan gilbert went overboard and made himself look bad. When I say he should appologize, i mean it more for his own best interest and image more so then for lebrons sake.

How he gonna compare bball to slavery? What a dumbo... anyways I would be mad too if I did everything I can to get u what u want and just because we couldn't do it this year u leave me for a better chance next year... but if I were LBJ I would join them too becuase ain't no body gonna want to play Wade and Bosh let alone now Wade Bosh LBJ

not to go off topic or get into race, but etan thomas wrote an articel for hoopshype about 5 or 6 months ago that was comparing the NBA to slavery. He was ssaying some crazy stuff talking about how the word's "owner" and "trading block" are straight from the slavery days and people are too blind to see the NBA is just modern day glamorized slavery. Im not making that up and he got killed by readers in the response comments.

Oh, Jesse thinks it's bad. Well, I know I should think the letter is stupid immature garbage now. Seriously, I just usually think Jesse is as self promoting and egotistical as LeBron and Gilbert. Who cares what he says about the letter, make up your own minds.

Ur thinking too much dude LOL ur not forced to play and if u feel that way about it just don't stay in the L... Thinking way too much about a sport I guess it must be true for all pro sports too then? I don't think so

llperez i agree with you 100% my uncle said the same thing because my little nephew is very good player and he is only 8 and he plays with 12 years and i said my nephew has potential and could make it to the league he said the league is modern slavery i said hell no no way in mind then i though about it.

owners basically own that athlete they pick and they trade him for other players and I have a book on slavery and it says back in slavery they picked the most powerful looking slave and they tested them speed and strength and the weakers got killed im not saying i think owners are racist but you do have to thing about it.

the book is very good and it's sad what happen to slave its called Without Sanctuary a very powerful book i sugest you guys to read it

the nba is a sport which is a type of entertainment which is also a type of business. Lebron did what he felt is the best business decision for him. Gilbert isn't handling this like business. He won't get any players to come to Cleveland this way. He basically scared off all his customers or business partners.

@leftovers, what do mean im thinking too much? I was saying etan thomas was dumb for making that comparison and you seem to agree. You know who would be most upset about comparing sports to slavery, the men and women who actually went through it. They would be the first ones to slap a millionaire athlete in the face for comparing their situation with slavery.

This was clearly a personal decision for LeBron. This wasn't about "business". He would have been in the best financial position and would have made more money in Cleveland. Now his brand, which is something he said was very important to him, is tarnished. He will lose a lot of money playing in Miami.

But yeah, I'm embarrassed for my race when either Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton has something to say. They always bring in the race card. We don't need them speaking up for us!

You guys can not get comparisons. He is comparing the mentality of the owner from slavery and Dan Gilbert. He did not say the NBA was slavery. It is a business but Dan Gilbert is acting like he owned Lebron and Lebron was a commodity without having a choice just like slaves. Dan should understand just like he fired his coach, Lebron rejected him and his offers. That is business

Personally I think every time something as meaningless as the Gilbert/LBJ story line gets compared to slavery it really shows the speaker's ignorance. I doubt anyone that actually went through slavery would ever compare these two relationships. JJ needs to quit getting publicity from the pain of others and give respect to those that actually endured such a hardship by not comparing everything to it.

Ill be a slave anyday for the 100 mil. Everybody has a price. IT is called capitalism, Gilbert has low class however Lebrons isnt too far off. This comparison is an insult to anyone who has been enslaved.

I don't get the slave/master comment, but everything else I agree with. This is a fairly typical reaction from any employer who just had company's value and earning potential slashed severely...it's just most people aren't dumb enough to put it in writing and then publish it on the internet.

This guy is the worst and he is so corrupt I don't even know why he has a national forum his time is past him I realize what he did for our people but he needs to mind his own business and take care of his extra marital affairs.